Magdalena Podja

Cell Team Leader in Blow-Fill-Seal Operations at Teva Runcorn

I’ve only been with the company a few weeks, but my experience so far has been very positive.

I’m currently training but, essentially, I’ll oversee the mixing, filling and sealing of our products in containers in a continuous automated system. I’ll be responsible for supervising and developing a team involved in this process, planning the work, resolving any issues and ensuring what we do is compliant and follows standard operating procedures.

I’m from Poland originally but I’ve been in England for ten years now. I studied Forensic Science and Investigative Analysis at Kingston University in London, and after finishing my degree I wanted to work in a science-related career.

Prior to joining Teva, I worked for another pharmaceutical company in London for three years in a similar role to the one I have now with Teva.

My family was relocating and so I started to look for other opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry because this is what I enjoy doing. It’s about improving lives and making life more comfortable for people.

"I’d heard that Teva was a great company to work for. I looked at the website and I could see it’s involved in lots of exciting projects and has a bright future."

The interview process reinforced the positive things I’d heard about Teva. To be honest, it was a completely different interview to what I was expecting. It was a day-long process, about seven or eight hours, and it was very intensive. In other interviews I’ve had, they’ve usually lasted only one or two hours. I don’t think you can observe people properly in that time; it’s impossible to get a clear view of a candidate’s personality and whether they’re really suitable for the role.

"So I was really surprised but also encouraged by the tough interview process here, and it also made it all the more rewarding when I found out I’d got the job."

The company seems to offer good career opportunities and you can develop in lots of different fields if you want to. It also offers lots of training and courses to develop your skills – it’s continuous work related training – and that’s also really important to me and is another reason why I think Teva is such a good company to work for.

I like the atmosphere here, too. People are very friendly and supportive. Everyone has been very accommodating in showing me what they do and how does the process work, what can go wrong and what are the expectations.

I’ve recently had a meeting with my manager and we’ve spoken about planning my development over the next couple of months and over the next year.

"When my training is finished, I’m going to be a team leader for a project that involves the development of a new product for Teva, so I’m really happy and excited about that."

To be successful at Teva, I think I’ll need to be self-disciplined, organised, eager to learn, be a good communicator, be independent but also be a good team worker, have a good attention to detail and be able to work in a fast-paced environment.

Outside of work, I’m studying for a master’s degree in Structural Molecular Biology. It requires a lot of work and organisational skills, but the shift patterns here help with that. I get three days off a week, which gives me the time to study and do other things.

"I’d encourage anyone thinking about working for Teva to apply. If you are hardworking and eager to learn, you’ll find it’s a great company to work for."